Scientists have revealed additional risks of visiting a solarium

A visit to the solarium can not only increase the risk of skin cancer, but also provoke severe reactions when ultraviolet radiation interacts with medicines, cosmetics, certain products and chronic diseases. This was reported on July 15 in the journal Medical Xpress.

The researchers analyzed 34 scientific papers published by May 2025. They described 67 cases of photosensitivity reactions associated with visits to tanning salons. The patients had painful blisters, severe rash, autoimmune disease exacerbations, and allergy-like reactions. In some cases, hospitalization, specialized treatment and surgical intervention were required.

Adverse reactions have been associated with the use of antibiotics, medications for high blood pressure and painkillers, as well as the use of external medications. Compounds found in celery, parsnips, and lime juice could also increase skin sensitivity to ultraviolet light.

Among the identified disorders were pseudoporphyria, in which blisters form on the skin, and solar urticaria, which can cause itching and swelling within a few minutes after exposure to ultraviolet light. In addition, tanning beds could exacerbate the symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus.

In some cases, an unusual reaction after the session became the first manifestation of a previously undiagnosed disease. Most of the described patients were young women, but the researchers emphasized that such disorders can occur in any susceptible person.

Olga Shuppo, scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation, adaptive and preventive medicine clinics, said on February 4 that it is impossible to get enough vitamin D, even if you are often exposed to the sun. The fact is that its production from the sun occurs only when the skin turns red, and slows down as soon as a tan appears.